Week 7: Immigration (52 Ancestors in 52 Weeks – 2024 Version)

The theme for Week 7 is "Immigration." For many people, genealogy starts with a desire to know where our family came from. This week, consider an immigrant ancestor: where they came from, why they came, or how different their life was between their "old country" and their new one. Click here to check out all the 2024 prompts.

When I started my journey, 40+ years ago, my goal was to trace my lineage back to my Immigrant Ancestors. I was always told that my lineage was of more recent immigrants, those that came in the mid 1800’s. 

Image my surprise to find a few Revolutionary Patriots. They are of German descent who came to American between 1700 and 1710. In 1709 a group known as the Palatines made the journey from the Palatinate region of Germany. Palatines had trickled into British America since their earliest days. The first mass migration, however, began in 1708. Queen Anne's government had sympathy for the Palatines and had invited them to go to America and work in trade for passage. Official correspondence in British records shows a combined total of 13,146 refugees traveled down the Rhine and or from Amsterdam to England in the summer of 1709. Many died on the way over on crowded ships, but around 21,00 survived and settled in New York. 

A couple of books I used to research these two different branches of my family were “Early Families of Herkimer County New York, Descendants of the Burnetsfield Palatines” by William V.H. Barker and "Compendium of Early Mohawk Valley Families” by Maryly B. Penrose.

My 7th great grandfather is most likely, Christofel HÜLS, born about 1868 and died between 1725-1757. I say most likely, because my lineage from my 4th great grandfather to Christofel is not completely proven by me. I have some DNA matches through my 4th great grandfather, however, I haven’t really worked fully on this branch of the family because of the vast size of this family and the repeated names from generation to generation and brother’s naming their sons similar and many were born about the same year too. Christofel appears on the NY Palatine subsistence list of 1710 and 1712. The spelling through the years has changed from HÜLS to Hiltz or Hilts. Both spellings are being used by modern day descendants. Christofel’s grandson, Lorentz Hiltz (1754-1836) is the Patriot according to a pension record I found. However, I wasn’t able to prove my lineage to him.

My 6th great grandfather is Johannes Spanknable. He is my registered Daughters of the American Revoluation patriot, and thus he is my proven line. Johannes was born in 1747 in Germany. His Probate Abstract list him (of Palatine). His father-in-law, Johannes Philip Kring also might be a Revolutionary Patriot who served in the Tryon County Militia. However, this is a line I haven’t had a chance to full investigate. Plus, no one has yet proven him as a patriot through DAR.

Remember to have fun and Just Do Genealogy!

Week 6: Earning a Living (52 Ancestors in 52 Weeks – 2024 Version)

The theme for Week 6 is "Earning a Living." Knowing how our ancestors earned a living can give us insight into their lives. What occupations have you seen in your family? Is there an ancestor whose occupation wouldn't exist today or one whose job really resonates with you? Click here to check out all of the 2024 Prompts.

In my family, I have lots of farmers. I am sure I am not the only one who has lots of farmers in their family. 

Looking at my eight 2x great-grandfathers in the 1880 US Census, 6 of them were Farmers, one was an Engineer, and one was a laborer. The Engineer most likely worked for the railroad and I have no idea what kind of laborer the other was. 4 of the Farmers lived in Dodge or Columbia County, Wisconsin, USA. The other two were farmers in Cerro Gordo County, Iowa, USA.

Since I grew up in the city, I never really thought about farm life until I married my husband who grew up on a farm. Being a farmer is a hard life. Their livelihood depended on the weather. They also usually had large families, because the children became a valuable asset on the farm to help with chores. 

Looking at my four great-grandfathers in the 1900 US Census, I was down to two farmers and two laborers. One was a day laborer and most likely worked on a farm, and the other was a Yardman for a Lumber Company. 

Looking at my two grandfathers in the 1930 US Census, one was a Coremaker for an Iron Foundry and the other was a gardener at an Insane Hospital. I noticed that the size of families started to get smaller.

However, I am the youngest of nine children. My mother was a widow with six children when she married my father. My father was a mechanic for Kiekhaefer Mercury and Aeromarine. Which later became Mercury Marine a division of the Brunswick Corporation. My father worked his way up and became the International Service Manager for Mercury Marine and worked 35 plus years for them. 

My family history seems to mirror America’s history, where the number of US farms are falling sharply with the increased of nonfarm employment opportunities. Even in my husband’s family, none of his siblings remained on the farm. 

I didn't profile any of the women because most of them were homemakers. My maternal grandmother worked outside the home as a  maid, housekeeper and cook. My mother was the first to obtain a college degree and earned her teacher’s certificate but stop teaching when she married her first husband. She did go back to school to get her accounting degree but never did get hired as an accountant. Instead, she took a part-time job for the Miles Kimball Company, a mail order company where she opened the mail and input the orders. She worked there in the fall months to help with Christmas Orders. 

Remember to have fun and Just Do Genealogy!